Fight or Flight
by kirauza343
Summary: When they boarded the airplane, no one expected to find themselves struggling to survive on an island with a group of strangers, not-quite-strangers, and friends. AU, no curse, with Captain Swan, Rumbelle, Snowing, Stable Queen, and a few others.
1. Chapter 1

**Just one of my many projects I'm starting for the summer. AU, no curse.**

LAX Airport

"You seem to be enjoying this," Killian said, flashing a charming smile. Emma pulled his arms farther behind his back causing him to wince, but not without a low chuckle. "Really enjoying this," he corrected with a smirk.

"I'd watch it if I were you. This is a long flight and I can make it feel even longer," Emma warned, not in the mood to deal with her captive's antics.

"You wound me, love. So what is a pretty girl like you doing chasing after bad men like me?" Killian asked, ignoring Emma's sour mood.

"That is none of your business," Emma said with an annoyed smile. She guided him through to the terminal to wait for their plane. Killian frowned, and decided to make the most of his time.

"Like you said, this is going to be a very long flight. Why don't we pass the time together? I'm sure we can figure out something to do with these," Killian said with a smile, raising his cuffed hands.

"Not even in your dreams," Emma muttered, taking a seat while they waited for their plane. "When we land in Sydney, the cops will take care of you," she added, giving a smirk of her own.

"I doubt they'll be as lovely as you," Killian said with a smirk, but internally he was frowning.

"Keep talking like that and I'll have to disappoint them by bringing you in more than one piece," Emma said, crossing her arms. Killian chuckled.

"Feel free to take a hand. I can live with my other, more important body parts," Killian teased, giving Emma a wink. Emma sighed. _This is going to be a long flight_ she thought.

* * *

"Are you ready for this, Mrs. Nolan?" David asked, giving Mary Margaret a kiss in the terminal. Mary Margaret giggled.

"I'm not used to that yet," she admitted and it was David's turn to laugh.

"Well, get used to it; it's real," David said smiling. Mary Margaret rested her head against David's shoulder and David wrapped his arm around her. "I have to admit, I'm not really used to it either," he confessed.

"Maybe our honeymoon will make it seem more real. I think Sydney is a great idea for a honeymoon destination," Mary Margaret said, nuzzling her face into David's shoulder.

"I want to know how I was lucky enough to find you. You are absolutely amazing," David said, kissing the top of Mary Margaret's head.

"I was wondering the same thing," Mary Margaret said smiling.

"How about this? I'll make you a promise," David said and Mary Margaret sat up. "No matter what happens, I promise I will always find you," he said, taking Mary Margaret's hands in his own.

"And if you can't, I'll just have to find you myself," Mary Margaret promised and the two kissed. "We will always find each other," she said.

* * *

"All right, we have one seat separate from our others. I'll let you two sit together," Moe French said, making it obvious he was trying to set the pair in front of him.

"No, you get sick if you aren't by the window, and that seat is by the aisle. I will sit there, I insist," Isabelle argued.

"Are you sure?" Gustave asked with a frown. "You never know who you could end up sitting next to. As your fiancé, I'm not sure it's a good idea," he added. Isabelle sighed.

"I'll be fine. Why don't you two grab something to eat? We'll be on the plane for fifteen hours," Isabelle suggested. The pair of men didn't hesitate to take her advice. Isabelle fiddled with her new engagement ring, sighing as she sat down.

"You don't seem too thrilled for a bride-to-be," a disinterested voice said from beside her. Isabelle jumped, not realizing someone sat beside her. "I'm sorry, I'm just making an observation," the man said with a smirk that showed he was anything but sorry.

"It's complicated," Isabelle said, not wanting to spill her personal problems to a complete stranger.

"You don't love him and yet you're marrying him. What's complicated about it? No, the real question is why you agreed to it, but even that is simple. Your father appears to approve and you want to make him happy, even at the risk of your own unhappiness. Here's my advice to you: do what makes you happy. Happiness and love are very difficult to find," the man said, and Isabelle could tell he spoke from experience. Isabelle thought over his words and decided to tell Gustave the truth. She laughed at herself for deciding to take a complete stranger's advice, but he spoke the truth.

"Thank you. I suppose I'm in your debt," Isabelle said with a small smile.

"A dangerous place to be," he said with a smirk, causing Belle to giggle.

"What seat are you in?" Isabelle asked, and Gold flashed his ticket causing Isabelle to smile. "Looks like we'll be sitting together. My name's Isabelle," she said, showing her ticket as well.

"You can call me Mr. Gold," Gold said, returning her smile.

* * *

"Do you think she'll follow us here?" Daniel whispered as he and Regina sat and nervously glanced around.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Regina admitted, continuously looking around for any sight of her mother. Daniel gently caressed her cheek and Regina turned to face him.

"We'll be safe; she won't find us. Nothing is more powerful than love," Daniel said soothingly before he lovingly kissed Regina.

"You don't understand how relentless she is," Regina said, fear striking her as she thought of her mother. Daniel gave a comforting smile.

"I do. But I know we are meant to be together, and nothing she can do will change that. I love you, Regina," Daniel said and Regina managed to smile.

"I love you too," Regina said, her eyes going to the engagement ring on her finger.

"I know it's not the prettiest ring in the world and you deserve much better," Daniel admitted and Regina chuckled.

"I already told you, it's absolutely perfect. All that matters is what it represents, and that's our love," Regina said smiling.

"And our love will never die," Daniel said.

* * *

"Are you sure your mom's heading to Sydney?" Neal asked the little boy beside him, his own flesh and blood.

"I'm positive. They said she was after some guy who did something bad in Sydney. We go there, we'll find her," Henry said causing Neal to chuckle.

"Now, you do realize your mom is not going to be happy to see me again right?" Neal asked, already somewhat dreading the reunion.

"Well, she might not be happy but she'll forgive you. After all, you're helping me reunite with her," Henry said grinning. "She seems really cool from what you've said about her. I can't wait to meet her," he added, his excitement growing.

"Yeah, well, we have to find her first," Neal pointed out, but a smile was on his face.

"Do you think she'll recognize me?" Henry asked as they bought some Cinnabons.

"I don't know. I think she'll know who you are when she sees you with me. You look a lot like I did at that age," Neal said.

"You're an orphan like her right?" Henry asked and Neal hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah," Neal lied as the two of them took a seat to wait for the plane.

* * *

"One ticket to Sydney please," Cora asked with a dark smile on her face, a smile hiding her anger and frustration at everything.

"All right, here you go. Have a nice flight," the flight attendant said cheerfully, and Cora quickly headed to the terminal, annoyed by the girl's cheerfulness. She took special care to avoid being seen as she searched through the terminal, eventually spotting her daughter.

"There you are," she said, starting to walk towards her daughter before she ran into an older man who appeared to be glaring at another couple while he walked. "Watch it," Cora said coldly.

"I believe you should watch it," Albert said, matching Cora's tone. Cora couldn't help but feel impressed that he stood up to her so easily.

"You have guts I'll give you that. But if you ever run into me again I'll be sure you don't have those anymore, is that understood?" Cora threatened. Albert laughed.

"If you even tried you would be out on the street without even your name to call your own," Albert said smirking. Cora frowned.

"If you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to," she said curtly, but Albert refused to budge.

"I believe you ran into me. I'm not the kind of man to let that slide," Albert said darkly. Cora laughed.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," she said with a smirk. "Now, we can all be friends or I can arrange for you to die a very painful death," Cora threatened. Albert had the sense to step out of the way. "Thank you," Cora said, taking a look around the room and frowning when her daughter had disappeared from sight. "No matter, you can't escape from me," she said darkly.

* * *

"So, why are we going to Sydney again?" Dawn asked, feeling impatient as they sat in the terminal. She felt uncomfortable next her boyfriend's 'business' companion, Ping.

"We have a major business deal going on, and I don't want to leave you behind again. I feel like we never get to spend time together. Sydney is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous and romantic," Phil said with a smile.

"I hope you don't spend all of your time in meetings this time," Dawn said sighing. She loved her boyfriend, but they hardly ever had the chance to spend time together.

"If you need to skip any meetings I can go instead," Ping said reluctantly. Dawn new it was no secret that she liked Phil, but she appreciated that the Chinese girl had the decency not to act on her feelings.

"I couldn't do that to you as much as I'd like to," Phil admitted. He wasn't going to be one to shirk his responsibilities.

"I know I don't say this enough, but I appreciate everything you do for father's company. No one's ever run it as well as you have, and if it means I don't get to spend as much time with you, then so be it," Dawn said with a small smile.

"I will always make time for you," Phil promised, kissing Dawn.

**Reviews, favorites, and follows are always welcome! If there is any confusion, Gustave is Gaston, Dawn is Aurora, Phil is Philip, and Ping is Mulan.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thank you guys for the reaction to this! It's a bit more than I expected to be honest. Any LOST parallels are completely accidental. Just a heads up, I'm going to try to keep most of the character relations as close to the show as possible, but some will be a little different, such as MM, David, and Emma's relationship and Gold and Killian's, since we have no curse or Neverland to make ages not an issue. Now that the boring part's done, enjoy!**

"We are now boarding Los Angeles to Sydney," a voice called over the PA system.

"About time," Emma muttered, dragging herself and Killian to the desk. "Are we clear?" she asked, gesturing to Killian's cuffs.

"Yes. Everything has been taken care of," the attendant said politely.

"Thanks," Emma said, leading Killian on the plane without another world. She placed him in the seat next to the window and sat next to the aisle.

"You're taking this rather seriously. You need to loosen up, have a little fun," Killian said smiling, completely at ease despite his situation.

"Unlike some people, I know when to focus on business," Emma said frowning.

"Come on, love, you're no fun," Killian said with a light and airy chuckle. "Keep being so serious and you might just make me stop smiling," he teased.

"Too bad it won't get you to stop talking," Emma muttered, causing Killian to laugh.

"Oh? Does she have a sense of humor after all?" Killian asked with a smirk. At Emma's not amused face Killian's smirk turned into a grin.

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you," Emma warned.

"Or what? You'll make this a miserable plane ride? I don't think that's possible with a beautiful woman like you beside me," Killian said, shamelessly flirting. Emma could only groan in response.

* * *

"Why don't you take the window seat?" Gold suggested, gently tapping his bad leg in explanation.

"All right," Isabelle said, squeezing past Gold to claim the window seat. She hadn't noticed his limp while they talked and Gold still managed to let off an air of power when he walked. Gold took a seat beside her. The pair stayed silent for a moment.

"There you are. We were worried when you disappeared," Gustave said as he and Moe made their way farther back.

"Sorry," Isabelle apologized.

"Well, don't do it again," Gustave said, causing Isabelle to frown.

"We need to talk after we land," Isabelle said seriously. Moe frowned.

"We should get seated," Moe said, eager to dull the tension. Gustave, however, wasn't finished yet.

"I'll have you know the woman beside you is my fiancé. If you try anything I'll make sure you regret it," Gustave threatened. Unimpressed, Gold stood and smirked.

"I have intention of trying anything, dearie. But if you ever threaten me again you will regret it," Gold said harshly before chuckling. "Well, you will if you live that long," he finished. Gustave and Moe continued on without a word.

"I'm sure that convinced them I'll be safe," Isabelle pointed out sarcastically. Gold chuckled as he say down.

"You didn't strike me as the sarcastic type," Gold said with a small smile.

"And you didn't strike me as the menacing type," Isabelle countered. Gold let out a genuine laugh.

"Well you caught me. I'm not usually the kind of person to give advice out to strangers. I'm afraid the menace is the normal me," Gold said with a dark smile. Isabelle gave him a fearless smile.

"Or, it's the wall you put up to keep people out," Isabelle deduced, thankful to be having a meaningful conversation for once.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," Gold said, but Isabelle was far from convinced.

* * *

Neal's head turned at the sound of familiar laughter. He froze when he saw his father, someone he hadn't seen in years.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked, trying see what Neal was looking at. Since he was in the window seat, he couldn't see the man that had Neal's attention.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Neal lied, hiding how unnerved he felt. He decided to focus on the reason he was here: Emma.

"Do you think we'll find her?" Henry asked, giving Neal his puppy dog eyes.

"We might not find her in Sydney, but we will find her eventually," Neal said, feeling very determined.

"Are you two gonna get back together when that happens?" Henry asked, hoping to have both his mom and dad together. Neal sighed.

"Look, I don't know. It's been a long time since we've seen each other. She's probably moved on," Neal reluctantly admitted, the sadness in Henry's eyes mirroring his own.

"So when we find her, if she has found someone else and if she wants me...will I ever see you again?" Henry asked.

"Of course. I will never leave you, I promise," Neal said fiercely, refusing to ever abandon his son. He mussed Henry's hair. "Why are you thinking so negatively? Everything will work out," he said. Henry grinned.

"You're right," he agreed.

* * *

"I'm telling you, I saw her!" Regina hissed as the cautiously took their seat.

"I know, I saw her too," Daniel admitted, "but she can't hurt us right now. Not with so many people around. We will escape, and besides we don't even know if she saw us," he said soothingly.

"I know she did. She won't let us go!" Regina said almost hysterically. She was near tears but Daniel cupped her face and kissed her forehead.

"Everything will be fine. We will be together," he said reassuringly. Regina sighed.

"She'll never stop searching for us. She won't stop until we are apart," Regina said. She had calmed down a significant amount, but was still a bit on edge.

"Your mother will not keep us apart," Daniel said soothingly, gently stroking Regina's hair. Regina gave a small smile.

"No, she won't," she said, starting to feel safe and determined. Their attention was drawn to another young couple who sat in the seats across the aisle.

"Hello," Daniel greeted, trying to be friendly.

"Hi! Are you to going on a honeymoon too?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile.

"We're eloping," Regina admitted with a smile. She flashed her modest ring while Daniel gave her other hand a gentle squeeze. The woman's face lit up.

"That's so romantic! I'm Mary Margaret and this is David," Mary Margaret said, making introductions.

"Hey," David greeted with a smile.

"I'm Daniel and this beautiful woman is Regina," Daniel said, causing Regina to smile and Mary Margaret to giggle.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. We have a long flight ahead of us, but I don't think that will be a problem with such friendly people," Mary Margaret said smiling.

"I agree," Regina said, immediately deciding she liked the couple beside them.

* * *

"Everything will be fine," Phil said soothingly, knowing Dawn had never flown before.

"Are you sure? We aren't just going to explode on takeoff right?" Dawn asked, very uncomfortable with the idea of flying.

"Just breathe. I'll be right here," Phil said soothingly. He glanced over at Ping who also looked uncomfortable, though her discomfort appeared to come from the strange woman beside her rather than flying. Phil shot her a sympathetic glance.

"I hope you're right," Dawn said sighing, not missing the exchange. All of a sudden, she felt the plane move, and before she knew it they were flying. "Wow," she stammered, looking out the window.

"See, flying's not bad," Phil said with a wry smile. Dawn smiled back.

"You're right, this is actually kind of nice," Dawn admitted, enjoying the view. "And you're sure nothing bad will happen?" she asked and Phil chuckled.

"Absolutely positive," Phil said.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just in case it isn't clear, pretty much everyone from Storybrooke is on the plane. If they show up on the show, chances are they will quite possibly show up here as well. Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows; they really mean a lot! Enjoy!**

_8 hours into the flight_

"All right, my turn. What is your ideal meal?" Isabelle asked with a smile. She and her new friend spent the first few hours reading until Belle decided they should get to know each other. Gold was reluctant at first, but Isabelle quickly persuaded him.

"A hamburger and iced tea," Gold admitted, surprising Isabelle.

"You don't seem like the kind of man who enjoys a good burger," Isabelle said.

"I assumed you would know by now that I'm never what you expect," Gold pointed out, and Isabelle laughed in agreement. "Now, why did you decide to take the seat beside a stranger?" he asked.

"I wanted a chance to think. If I let my father sit here I would have been forced to listen to fifteen hours' worth of hunting stories from Gustave," Isabelle explained.

"Why did you want to think?" Gold asked, curious. Isabelle sighed.

"I just accepted Gustave's proposal yesterday. In a way I didn't have much choice; he asked me in front of both of our families. I didn't want to marry him, but I knew both of our families wanted us to. The pressure got to me so I caved and accepted. I wanted a chance to think it over, to decide what I really wanted. I never expected to meet someone who helped me find the solution without even knowing the problem," Isabelle said smiling.

"Well, I know a marriage without love is a terrible thing for both participants," Gold said.

"Let me guess, you had a first marriage that ended badly," Isabelle said sympathetically.

"Maybe I'm just a fan of true love," Gold said with a smirk. Isabelle gave him a smile that was unconvinced.

"I'm glad to have met you. It's nice to talk about everything to someone who actually listens. I know my problems must seem rather small and petty, so I really appreciate you listening," Isabelle said smiling.

"It's not a problem at all sweetheart," Gold said, returning her smile. He tried to hide the fact that he was slowly becoming smitten with the Australian beauty.

"And I do believe I was right. You really are a decent man underneath it all," Isabelle said smirking. Gold chuckled and was about to argue when they felt the plane shake.

* * *

"What was that?" Killian asked groggily, having been woken by the shaking of the plane.

"Probably just some turbulence," Emma said, but something in her gut told her otherwise. "You can go back to sleep if you want. In fact, go back to sleep," she said.

"Turbulence?" Killian asked, unconvinced. He sat up and took a look out the window. "Love? You might want to take a look at this," he said seriously. Emma took a look through the window to see complete darkness, even though she knew there should be some light outside.

"Hey, what's going on?" Emma asked a passing attendant.

"Nothing major, everything will be just fine," the attendant said calmly.

"She's lying. Something's wrong," Emma said, realizing the attendant wasn't telling the truth.

"This is going to be a rough storm," Killian noted with a frown. Emma contemplated arguing with him, but decided the situation was too important to waste time.

"You better hold onto something," Emma warned as the plane shook again.

* * *

"Is this normal?" Daniel asked Regina as they woke from their peaceful slumber against each other.

"No, not this late into the flight," Regina said with a frown as she sat up. "I've never seen something like this," Regina added as she looked out the window.

"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked as she and David listened to Daniel and Regina. For the first time all day, there was a frown on her face.

"Something bad is about to happen. There's something wrong in the air," a voice said from behind them. The voice came from a brunette with red streaks in her hair who sat beside a blond male.

"In other words, we're all dead," Whale said with a groan.

"We are not going to die," David said calmly yet forcefully. Whale didn't look very convinced.

"Ruby's really good at predicting things like this. She's like a dog when it comes to dangerous weather," Whale said, completely serious.

"Can't the rest of you feel it? The atmosphere feels very strange, and not in a good way," Ruby said grimly.

"We have to stay calm. The staff has to be prepared for this sort of thing, they'll take care of it," David said calmly. His words did little to reassure his companions, but thankfully everyone at least attempted to stay calm. They braced themselves as the plane shook again.

* * *

"What's happening?!" Dawn asked, beginning to panic. She screamed as she felt the plane shake again, and Phil's hand tightened around hers.

"Everything's going to be fine," Phil said soothingly, hiding the fact that he very much doubted that everything would turn out all right.

"Brace yourselves!" Ping called as another, more forceful shake rattled the plan. The woman beside her frowned.

"This is hardly good service," Cora chided, ignoring the tremors rippling throughout the plane. Phil held Dawn close and Ping held onto her seat.

"I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," Phil whispered gently in a shaking Dawn's ears. Panic coursed through both of their veins as the plane shook again. Ping looked around her and saw other passengers bracing themselves while the crew appeared to do nothing.

"Don't let go," Dawn whispered through tears. Her whole body was trembling.

"I won't. I'll never let go," Phil said fiercely. "I love you," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you too," Dawn said, finally beginning to calm down.

* * *

"What's going on?" Henry asked, sounding very anxious and scared. Neal placed a protective arm around him.

"I don't know, but I'll take care of you," Neal said as the plane shook again, this time more powerful than the others. Suddenly oxygen masks dropped from above their seats and Neal began to realize that everything wasn't okay. He quickly helped Henry put his on before putting his own on. "Everything's going to be okay," he said, trying to convince himself as well as Henry.

"It will," Henry said, also trying to convince himself. Suddenly they felt the plane drop, and Neal instinctively braced Henry for the rough landing to come.

**Aaaaaaaand they've crashed. Next time will be complete and utter chaos!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I would like to apologize ahead of time for…things. For what, you'll just have to read and find out!**

The first thing Killian felt was pain, excruciating pain. The light blinded him as he opened his eyes, and he tried sit up, only to fall when attempting to put weight on his left hand. Initially, Killian assumed he broke it until he realized he felt absolutely nothing.

"Killian, you're alive," Emma said, relief and annoyance showing in her voice. Killian couldn't even bother to give a snarky reply as he slowly looked at the stump where his left hand used to be. He was too stunned to even let out the scream he felt building in his throat.

"My God," he said breathlessly. Emma helped him sit up as Killian looked around to see the crash around them. Everything was chaos, with people everywhere trying to pick themselves up and find their loved ones.

"Your hand…" Emma said grimly as she realized what happened to it. "Come on, we need to find you a doctor. There has to be one on the plane," she said as she helped him to his feet.

"There might have been one, but I wouldn't get too excited. On the bright side, at least now if you want me handcuffed it will have to be to you," Killian said charmingly, using Emma to get his mind off of the pain and absence of his hand.

"Nice to know losing your hand didn't damper your spirits," Emma muttered, frowning at the realization that she'd actually been worried about the criminal. Well, a little.

"Well, I did say you could take a hand earlier. I just didn't think you would take it literally," Killian said with a chuckle as they stumbled through the beach. Their eyes went to a man taking a look over a dying survivor.

"There. Once he takes a look at the people who need the most help, he may be able to help you," Emma said. "You won't get your hand back, but he can stop the bleeding and keep it from getting infected," she said calmly.

"Or you could do that. You seem to know what needs to be done," Killian pointed out with a smirk. Emma frowned.

"You're awfully chipper for a guy with one less limb than he woke up with," Emma said dryly as she led him over to the apparent doctor.

* * *

"David! David!" Mary Margaret called, unable to find her recent husband anyone. She stood on the beach, taking desperate looks around in an attempt to find who she was searching for. Rather than David, she saw Regina hunched over in the sand. "Regina! Are you all right?" she asked, rushing over to make sure the girl was all right.

"Daniel…" Regina managed to get out before breaking down into tears. Mary Margaret gasped to see that Regina was hunched over the man's body. Mary Margaret wrapped her arms around Regina in an attempt to console her and to distract herself from the fact she couldn't find David. Regina turned around and buried herself in Mary Margaret.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," Mary Margaret said, gently running her hands through Regina's hair the way a mother would console a daughter.

"Thank God, there you are," David said, immediately rushing over to Mary Margaret. His happiness at finding his love was diminished when he realized what had happened. David wrapped his arms around both of the women as they sat there, and he realized how lucky he was that Mary Margaret was still alive.

"We're here for you," Mary Margaret said soothingly. She wanted nothing more than to kiss David senseless but right now she knew she needed to be there for her new friend.

"Regina, you're all right!" A relieved voice called and Regina looked up in anger when she recognized the voice. "I'm so sorry dear," Cora said, though she didn't sound sorry at all.

"Get away! He's dead because you wouldn't let us be happy! If you hadn't tried to keep us apart we wouldn't be here right now and he would still be alive!" Regina said, her pain obvious to everyone. Cora had the sense not to say anything else as she left to allow her daughter to grieve. Mary Margaret and David were able to piece together the rest of Regina's story between her recent outburst and their conversations on the plane. Words weren't enough anymore as Mary Margaret and David held Regina as she mourned the loss of her love.

* * *

Dawn looked around in a daze, hardly able to remember how she got to where she now stood. Everything slowly became clear as reality came crashing down, and Dawn thought of the plane crash. Dawn gasped, frantically looking around, finding Ping quickly. "Ping! Are you all right? Please tell me you've seen Phil," Dawn said, desperate enough that her dislike of the Chinese girl wasn't obvious.

"No, I haven't. I'm sure he's around here somewhere, he was with you," Ping said, groggily standing up. It took her a moment to gain complete balance and she took a look around the beach. "Come on, we'll find him," she said with a gentle determination.

"All right," Dawn said, unsure of how she was managing to keep her cool. The two quickly combed the beach, but found no sign of Phil among the survivors or the dead. "He has to be here somewhere!" Dawn said, feeling frustrated.

"As long as we haven't found his body he may still be alive. We will find him," Ping said. She and Dawn continued to search the beach. They saw an older woman playing a surprisingly large role in helping survivors, a young man looking distressed over a destroyed typewriter, a father holding his daughter, but not Phil.

"Hey, can you please help me?" an older man asked as he approached them. "I'm looking for my daughter; she's a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue dress on the plane," the man described, sounding as desperate as the pair of women felt.

"I remember her. She's a little further down the beach, right over there," Dawn said, pointing out the direction she saw the girl.

"Thank you," the man said, rushing off to find his daughter. Dawn and Ping shared a worried glance, both fearing they might never find Phil.

"We'll find him. Someone else may have seen him," Ping said, determined.

* * *

"Isabelle!" Isabelle heard a voice call for her. With relief, Isabelle turned to see her father in front of her. He looked a little shell-shocked but other than that looked pretty unharmed.

"Papa," Isabelle said breathlessly as she embraced her father for a brief moment. "I need your help," she said as she pulled away, drawing his attention to the man trapped under some of the wreckage. "I can't lift it by myself," she explained. Moe immediately recognized the man trapped as the one who sat next to Isabelle on the plane.

"All right, on three. One, two, three!" Moe called as he and Isabelle lifted up on the wreckage. Gold, however, was unable to move partially thanks to his lame leg. "I've got this, help him," Moe said, using all of his strength to hold the debris up while Isabelle pulled Gold out with a few fierce tugs. With a sigh of relief, Moe dropped the wreckage and collapsed in the sand.

"Thank you," Gold said, weakly pushing himself up so he would at least be sitting. His thanks almost sounded as if he were surprised he received aid.

"After what you just did there's no way I was leaving you," Isabelle said, earning a confused look from her father. "He saved my life. He saw the wreckage falling and pushed me out of the way," Isabelle explained, her mind still trying to comprehend everything that had happened.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," Moe said genuinely, to which Gold had no response. Belle stood and helped both men to their feet, and placed one of Gold's arms over her shoulder to support him.

"Where's Gustave?" Isabelle asked, realizing he wasn't with them. Moe's faced turned sober.

"I'm afraid he didn't make it," he said with a tired sigh. Isabelle was caught off guard by the news, but she knew there would be time to deal with it later.

"We need to get moving before another piece of the plane decides to fall on us," Isabelle said seriously as she and the two men made their way to where the majority of the survivors had gathered.

* * *

"Dad, wake up!" Henry exclaimed, and sure enough Neal's eyes began to drift open. "Dad!" Henry said, wrapping his arms around Neal.

"Henry," Neal said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked, taking a good look at his son and found no obvious injuries.

"I'm fine, but you're bleeding," Henry said, sounding worried. Neal placed a hand to his head and immediately felt the warm, sticky feeling of blood. When he pulled his hand away, there didn't appear to be too much blood on it.

"I think I'll be fine. I'll get someone to take a look at it," Neal said dismissively. He tried to stand, but a dizziness fell over him as he collapsed back into the sand. "Whoa," Neal said, waiting for the dizziness to fade. "I'll be fine," he repeated reassuringly in response to the concerned look on his son's face.

"I'm gonna find someone to help you," Henry said as he turned to leave.

"Henry wait!" Neal called and the boy stopped in his tracks. "I don't want you by yourself right now. Not with all of this going on," he said, not admitting his fear of something happening to the boy.

"I need to get you some help," Henry protested with a frown.

"Just give me a minute and I'll come with you," Neal said, and after a moment began to stand. Henry immediately helped his father up and this time Neal managed to stay up. "All right, I think I'm good," Neal said, taking a look around at the chaos.

"Where are we?" Henry asked as he observed the scene, and Neal realized he couldn't answer that question.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I hope you enjoy!**

**RIP Daniel and Killian's hand :(**

"This is complete chaos," Emma noted as the doctor, whose name they learned was Dr. Whale, did what he could for the stump that remained of Killian's hand.

"Someone should do something. I would, but I'm a bit busy at the moment," Whale said, looking at all the other survivors that needed to be treated. He turned his attention back to Killian and finished up. "All right, that's the best I can do for now. We might be able to find medicine on the plane. My girlfriend Ruby's looking through it right now," Whale said.

"You're pretty relaxed considering we just crashed on an island," Emma noted to which Whale chuckled.

"I'm used to the pressure in surgery. You two are pretty calm yourselves," Whale said. Killian and Emma moved out of the way to allow the next person to come to the doctor, a young man with a young boy. The man didn't notice Emma while Whale started to look at his bleeding head.

"Neal?" Emma asked, looking horrified. It was the first bit of emotion Killian had seen her display since he met her, and Neal snapped his head up in response, appearing to recognize the voice.

"Emma," Neal said, both shocked and horrified to see her here. Whale impatiently pulled Neal's head back down while he examined the wound.

"Wait, you're Emma?" the little boy asked, before recognizing her from the pictures Neal showed him. "Hi, I'm Henry," Henry greeted with a nervous smile. Emma's eyes went from Neal to Henry, and she was absolutely speechless. Neal sighed.

"I received a call from an orphanage about a year ago from him. He said he was pretty sure I was his father, so one paternity test later I found out he was my son. Henry wanted to find you and I did too and we heard we might be able to find you in Sydney," Neal hastily explained. Emma still had yet to find her tongue.

"All right, that should do it for now," Whale said, practically ignoring the family drama going on. He moved on to the next survivor, a man with a shallow cut across his neck.

"Why don't we take this little family reunion somewhere a little more private?" Killian suggested when no one moved to speak or move.

"Who are you?" Neal asked as they moved. Killian looked very familiar to him, but he wasn't sure if he knew him or not.

"Killian Jones. In a way, I'm the reason Emma was on that plane," Killian admitted, and Neal froze. "Is something wrong lad?" Killian asked with a frown. Neal sighed, mentally cursing his past for catching up with him now of all times.

"No, everything's fine," Neal lied as they moved a quiet section of the beach.

* * *

Moe, Isabelle, and Gold walked in silence until Isabelle tripped over piece of the plane hidden in the sand, sending her and Gold tumbling to the ground. "Sorry," Isabelle said from underneath Gold's arm. Gold rolled off of Isabelle and sat up, helping her up as well.

"Are you two all right?" Moe asked, breathing heavily. All of the excitement was starting really affect the trio, but Isabelle managed to nod.

"Damn leg. This isn't working. We need to find either my cane or something I can use as a cane," Gold said, cursing his lame leg.

"I'll go. And before you argue, you really overexerted yourself earlier," Isabelle said, attempting to stand before wincing at the feeling of weight on her ankle. She cursed herself for wearing heels as she undid the straps and kicked her shoes off. Isabelle tested weight on her ankle and breathed a sigh of relief when the pain was far duller. "I'll be back soon," Isabelle said, leaving before either man had a chance to protest.

"Stubborn girl," Moe muttered as he took a seat next to Gold. "I swear, sometimes I think she's worse than her mother," he said with a sigh. Gold listened in silence. "Of course, I never thought it would save her life," Moe admitted. The confession caught Gold's attention.

"What do you mean?" Gold asked, curious.

"Gustave sat in the seat she would have sat in if she wasn't so adamant about taking the leftover seat. Part of the plane fell and crushed his entire lower body. I really hate that he died, but if anything had happened to my little girl…" Moe said, trailing off, not wanting to finish that thought.

_Nothing is worse than the pain of losing a child_ Gold thought, but stayed silent. A nervous looking middle aged man passed by to see if they were all right. "We're fine," Gold said, feeling frustrated and impatient. Isabelle was only gone a few minutes, but to the two men it felt like hours.

"Look what I found," Isabelle said with a smile as she handed Gold his cane, somehow still in one piece. "Hopefully it won't take too long for us to be rescued," she said, taking a seat beside the two men. Her father and Gold stared at her, not sure what to make of her optimism.

"You're a very brave young woman," Gold noted after a moment. With the aid of his cane he managed to stand and smiled inwardly when he successfully placed weight on the cane without breaking it.

"Well I figure do the brave thing and bravery will follow. Come on, let's see if anyone else needs help," Isabelle said, helping her father to his feet. Without a second thought she bounded off in a fierce determination. Moe soon followed after, but Gold couldn't help but take a moment to stare at the remarkable young woman. "Aren't you coming?" Isabelle asked, snapping Gold out of his daze as he followed the Australian beauty and her father.

* * *

Dawn and Ping searched the beach in silence. "Where would Phil go if he was searching for us?" Ping asked, realizing that the person they were searching for might be looking for them as well. Dawn immediately understood what she meant.

"Well, I know I would go where other people were. So we might find him if we stick with everyone else," Dawn said, mentally cursing herself for not thinking that the reason they couldn't find Phil was because he might be searching for them too.

"Right. Too bad everyone isn't gathered together," Ping said, noting the scattered pockets of people on the beach. "Well, you're the heir to the major corporation. I believe this is right up your alley," Ping said as they made their way to the center of the beach. Dawn let out a bitter laugh.

"I'm not much of a leader. When I fell in love with Phil, I realized the best shot the company had was if we married and he took over the business. I would make a better trophy wife than a leader," Dawn admitted reluctantly.

"Phil fell in love with you for more than just your looks. He and your father both speak very highly of you. I think you would make a better leader than you give yourself credit for," Ping said, equally reluctant with her confession. Dawn sighed.

"I can speak in front of people without a problem, but I never know what to say. Father always had someone else write any speeches he or I needed to give. I can't even remember any of them to draw inspiration from," Dawn said. Ping smiled, causing Dawn to raise an eyebrow.

"Luckily for you, writing speeches are my specialty," Ping said.

"Then why don't you gather everyone? I'm sure you can throw together a few inspiring words," Dawn asked with a frown.

"I'm…very uncomfortable speaking in front of people. I prefer to remain behind the scenes," Ping admitted, and Dawn realized how little she knew about the Chinese woman. Dawn gave her a comforting smile.

"Let's face it; neither of us would make good leaders. We might be able to pull everyone together if we work together, but it would be a longshot. When everyone does gather, they'll likely do so right there," Dawn said, gesturing to an open part of the beach. "It's open with little wreckage, and large enough to have all of us there comfortably.

"Then we know where to wait. Phil will find us or we'll find him," Ping said completely certain.

* * *

"Take care of Regina. I'm going to see what I can do to help," David said, giving Regina and Mary Margaret a supportive squeeze before he made his way to the largest concentration of people circled around a blond who appeared to be a doctor. "Is everything all right over here?" he asked.

"I'm just taking care of a few people that need medical attention. The ones who needed it most should be fine for now. I have someone going through the plane to see if we can find any medicine," Whale said, and David had to admit he was impressed.

"Thanks. I need anyone here who's able to gather the survivors. We need to figure out what we're doing next," David said. Several of the survivors Whale had already looked at got up without a word and began to gather survivors. It didn't take long for everyone alive to join together. "All right, we might have a few days before the rescue finds us. We need to find food, water, and medicine to last us until then," David said.

"My grandmother and I are working on it. We've been able to find some airplane food, water bottles, and various medications on the plane plus a few first aid kits. If we ration it we should have enough for a few days," Ruby called from the crowd.

"Good. Next we need shelter from the sun. Anyone who's able, I'm sure we can find materials on the plane that we can use to create makeshift shelters," David said. "Anyone who isn't able due to an injury needs to see Doctor Whale here," David added, pointing out the doctor for those who hadn't met him yet.

"I don't know how much I can do out here, but I'm here none the less," Whale said, frowning as he realized how many people looked like they needed a doctor.

"Now, we need to gather the bodies we can find. When we get rescued they will get proper burials, but for now we need to keep them together. If someone here can identify them, that would be wonderful," David said, meeting silence this time. "We also need to get some sort of signal going. Something like a fire, big enough that a rescue will be able to use it to find us," David added.

"I'll get on it," an Irish man said, standing up. "I've spent some decent time in the wilderness so a fire won't be too hard to start," he said.

"Thank you. Now, we may be stuck here a while and we need to work together, so I suggest we get to know each other," David finished.

**Next time we get a bit of a breather as everyone tells a little bit about themselves!**


	6. Chapter 6

**We have a bit of a more relaxed chapter this time, mostly because I wanted to explore everyone's backstory. Plus, after the last two chapters they need it! One small note, I completely forgot about George's Storybrooke persona, so he is now Albert Spencer. I've fixed the previous chapters accordingly, but please let me know if I missed something. Also fixed are the lack of page breaks in between POVs in the first chapter. Enjoy!**

Everyone gathered around the signal fire as the sun dipped below the horizon. There weren't too many of them, but it would still be a struggle to keep everyone fed if the rescue took too long to arrive. None of the pilots or flight attendants survived, much to David's dismay. David took a deep breath before he stood up. "All right, my name is David Nolan. I work at an animal shelter in Los Angeles and I am recently married to my wife, Mary Margaret. We were heading to Sydney for our honeymoon," David said before sitting down.

"My name is Mary Margaret Nolan, and I'm David's wife. I'm a fifth grade teacher back in LA," Mary Margaret said quickly. She felt no need to delve deeper into her history since David handled the most important parts. She gave Regina a gentle, supportive nudge and the grieving woman stood.

"My name is Regina Mills. My family owns a riding school in Los Angeles and my…Daniel and I were eloping," Regina managed, somehow managing to hold herself together as she stood and sat. Mary Margaret gave her reassuring hug while the next person stood.

"My name is Ruby Lucas and I work at my Granny's diner on the outskirts of LA. My Granny is here with us and so is my boyfriend, Victor. We were heading to Sydney for a vacation," Ruby said, seating so the next person could rise.

"You people may call me Granny. Ruby is my granddaughter, and I own Granny's Diner and Granny's Bed and Breakfast right outside of Los Angeles," Granny said and Whale stood up next.

"My name is Victor Whale, and I'm a surgeon from LA. I think Ruby and Granny have covered the rest," Whale said before quickly sitting down. A father and daughter rose next.

"My name is Jefferson, and this is my daughter, Grace. I'm a tailor and my daughter goes to school. In fact, she's in Miss Blanchard…sorry, Mrs. Nolan's class. We decided to go to Sydney on vacation," Jefferson said. A reluctant blonde stood next.

"I'm Emma Swan. I guess you could call me a bounty hunter. I was making my way back to Sydney with a criminal," Emma said before hastily sitting back down.

"Nice job making everyone feel safe," Killian snarked as he stood up. "My name is Killian Jones, and I'm the criminal the lovely Miss Swan has in custody. I happened to smuggle something very valuable out of Sydney, so no I didn't murder anyone if that's what you're wondering. If that doesn't make you feel safe, then rest assured I am a hand short these days," Killian said charmingly, showing off his stump to the crowd. Neal sighed and stood, realizing that Killian was still as theatric as ever.

"My name is Neal Cassidy. I work in a major business in Manhattan, and my son found me so we decided to go to Sydney to find his mother. I never thought I'd find her on the plane," Neal said, avoiding eye contact with Emma as he sat down. Henry bounced up next.

"Hi, I'm Henry. Neal's my dad, and Emma's my mom. So even though it kinda sucks that the plane crashed I'm pretty happy I managed to find my mom," Henry said with a smile before sitting back down.

"My name's Graham Humbert, I'm the sheriff of a small town outside of LA, and I absolutely love visiting Granny's Diner. I came to Sydney looking for adventure and I have to say this isn't what I had in mind," Graham said with a chuckle.

"My name is Archie Hopper and I'm a psychologist in Los Angeles. I decided to take some time off and visit Sydney to get away for a while," Archie said. It took Gold a moment to stand, but he refused any help that was offered.

"You all may call me Mr. Gold. I'm a lawyer, pawnbroker, and I own an antique store in Los Angeles. I was headed to Sydney on business," he said curtly before sitting back down. It was obvious Gold wasn't interested in getting to know the others.

"My name is Isabelle French, and I'm a librarian. And even though he sounds like a grumpy old man, Mr. Gold actually saved my life," Isabelle said with a small smile, causing Gold to frown. Neal was taken by surprise by her statement.

"I'm Moe French, Isabelle's father. I own a flower shop called Game of Thorns back in Sydney. We were heading back home," he said before sitting down. Neither he nor Isabelle wanted to mention Gustave at the moment.

"I am Albert Spencer, and I'm an attorney from Los Angeles. Like Mr. Gold, I was also headed to Sydney on business," Albert said. David frowned, not happy to see his adoptive father was on the same plane as them.

"My name's August Booth, and I'm a writer and a drifter. Sydney was where I decided to drift to next," August said with a shrug.

"I'm Ashley, and I was heading to Sydney to give up my baby for adoption. I'm a maid in Los Angeles," Ashley said, and the group noticed that she appeared to be ready to have her baby any day now. Beside her, a man stood up.

"I'm Sean, I work in a cannery in LA, and I was coming to Sydney to stop Ashley," Sean said. A nervous looking woman stood up next.

"My name is Astrid, and I'm, or at least I was, a nun. I grew sick of that life and decided to run away to Sydney with Leroy," Astrid said.

"And I'm Leroy. I used to work in construction," Leroy said gruffly.

"I'm Cora Mills and I own the riding school my daughter told you all about earlier, as well as Heart Enterprise, a company I'm sure you've all heard about," Cora said with a wicked smile. Regina shot her daggers with her eyes and Mr. Gold frowned at the realization that Cora was here as well.

"My name is Marco, and I'm a carpenter from the same town as Graham and Granny Lucas. I had finally earned enough money to visit Sydney like I always wanted to," Marco said with his thick Italian accent.

"You may call me Mother Superior. I am the head nun at the convent where Astrid lives and I decided to try and persuade her to come back," Mother Superior said calmly. She earned cold stares from Leroy, Astrid, and Gold.

"My name is Lance and I'm a football coach from Los Angeles vacationing in Sydney," Lance said.

"I'm Dawn, the heiress to the Sleeping Beauty Corporation. I was headed to Sydney on business with my boyfriend who has disappeared. He's not with the bodies, but he's not here either, so if anyone sees him I would love to know," Dawn said hastily, worry in her voice.

"My name is Ping and I work with Dawn and Phil," Ping said quickly and quietly. David looked around the circle to see that she was the last one.

"Well, it's nice to meet everyone though I wish the circumstances were different. With any luck, we won't be here long," David said, standing. And with that, the group dispersed for the night.

**All right, I think I got just about everyone. I'm leaving out Kathryn and Sydney because their characters revolve around their relationship to David and Regina respectively. A few of the more minor characters have been left out as well, but if I've missed anyone major please let me know!**


	7. Chapter 7

**One more relaxed chapter before the drama continues! **

"I can't believe how quick she went to sleep," Mary Margaret noted as she and David watched Regina sleep peacefully despite all of the turmoil of the day.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't stay like this. Finding Daniel like she did…she'll probably have nightmares for at least the next few weeks," David said, feeling pity for their new friend. Mary Margaret sighed.

"When I found her with Daniel…all I could think about was finding you the same way. All I could think about was what if you were dead? When you found us, just knowing you were still alive was the happiest moment of my life. You really scared me," Mary Margaret admitted, wrapping her arms around David.

"I told you I would always find you, and I never break my promises," David said soothingly. What he didn't say was that his fears mirrored hers while he was searching for her.

"I'm glad," Mary Margaret said, giving David a gentle, sad kiss, before just sitting in his arms. "How long do you really think it will take to be rescued?" she asked.

"I don't know. We have no idea what was going on with the plane in the storm. We could have gotten off course but we have no pilots to tell us if we are or not. They could be searching in the wrong place for all we know. But I do know we can't give up hope. They will find us," David said with a determination.

"You're right," Mary Margaret said with a small smile. "Now, we should get some sleep. Or we could, you know, treat this as our honeymoon," Mary Margaret said with a suggestive smile as she turned to face her husband. David chuckled.

"With Regina this close?" he asked. Mary Margaret frowned, having forgotten about her. "We should get some sleep," David said, giving Mary Margaret one last kiss goodnight.

* * *

"You can't sleep either?" Isabelle asked, taking a seat next to Gold in the sand. Gold looked at the young woman and chuckled.

"Not really," Gold admitted, turning his attention back to the ocean. He couldn't help but feel thankful for the company, though he would never admit it.

"I don't believe I said this earlier, but thank you for saving me," Isabelle said with a small smile.

"It's no matter," Gold said dismissively, but Isabelle saw through his uncaring façade. She placed a hand on his shoulder and Gold turned to face her, a bit surprised.

"Why can't you sleep?" Isabelle asked, curious. She knew the day had been rough on everyone, but didn't expect Gold of all people to be affected enough to lose sleep. Gold hesitated before answering.

"My business in Sydney was very urgent," Gold said carefully, trying to sound as detached as possible and failing.

"What sort of business was it?" Isabelle asked. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry," she apologized when she realized her question seemed to strike a nerve in Gold.

"It's quite all right," Gold said sighing. "I'm looking for someone. I have been for years, and I thought I might find him in Sydney," he admitted reluctantly.

"Who is he?" Isabelle asked, curious. Gold thought about dodging the question, but realized he wanted to talk to someone about it. He just never thought there would be someone who would actually listen.

"My son. His name is Bay, and he would be about your age now. I lost him when he was fourteen because I was a coward," Gold said bitterly, and Isabelle immediately knew he was finished talking about it. She offered him a gentle smile.

"You'll find him someday, I know you will. We'll be off this damnable island in a few days at the most, and then you can find your son," Isabelle said, and Gold couldn't help but smile at her constant optimism.

"You're quite the optimist," Gold noted.

"Someone has to be," Belle answered. "Besides, I believe you're pessimistic enough for all of us," she teased, and Gold laughed.

* * *

"I don't understand. It's like he just vanished. No one's seen him and no even seems to remember he was on the flight," Dawn said, exasperated.

"He'll turn up. We will find him. In the meantime, we need to get some sleep," Ping said gently, but Dawn made no move to sleep. "Dawn?" she asked.

"I haven't slept well since Albert Spencer made the threat to buy Sleeping Beauty Corporation. With both him on the island and Phil missing I won't be getting much sleep tonight," Dawn admitted reluctantly.

"Well, I'm no Phil, but I'm here if you need someone to talk to," Ping offered hesitantly. Dawn couldn't help but laugh.

"You know, you're not that bad. To think I didn't like you when we got on that plane this morning," Dawn mused. Ping smiled back.

"Trust me princess, the feeling was mutual," Ping said, using the nickname the company used for Dawn, the heiress of the company. "And for the record, I don't love Phil if that's why you didn't like me," Ping added, wanted to clear the air.

"That is nice know," Dawn admitted, before freezing. "Wait what? If you don't love him, why didn't you like me?" Dawn asked with a frown.

"You seemed like a very spoiled, stuck-up brat," Ping said bluntly. Dawn couldn't suppress the laugh that was building in her throat.

"Such wonderful tact. I thought you were good with words," Dawn said with a mock sigh. "To be honest, I don't really blame you. I can't help that I'm perfect," Dawn joked. Ping snorted.

"Good night princess," Ping said, rolling over to get some sleep for the night. Dawn also laid down and decided to get at least some sleep if possible.

"Good night, Ping," Dawn said.

* * *

"So what are we going to do when we leave? Are we going to be a family again?" Henry asked in the makeshift shelter that held him, his mother, his father, and the strange, one-handed criminal. Emma hesitated before answering.

"I don't really stay in one place very long. I can't drag you around the world on my job; it's dangerous. Some of my marks are harmless like this guy, but others aren't," Emma said reluctantly. She still wasn't sure what to make of her son finding her after so many years.

"Okay, so you can find another job. Then we can all be one big happy family," Henry said optimistically, completely oblivious to the tension of the situation.

"I guess I could, but it would be pretty hard for me to find another job," Emma said, taking time to glare at Neal. "Besides, Neal and I wouldn't be able to live together. I don't love him," Emma said, trying to be as gently as possible.

"You don't have to live together. I just want to have both of my parents, even if I only get to visit them. Please?" Henry asked, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.

"We can figure something out when we get off the island," Neal said, speaking for the first time since he introduced himself to other survivors. "Why don't you get some sleep?" Neal suggested.

"All right," Henry said reluctantly, getting a bad feeling that everything wouldn't be perfect like he thought when he decided to find his parents. When he finally fell asleep, the adults continued their conversation.

"What are we going to do about this?" Neal asked. Emma sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know, and right now we have bigger things to worry about," Emma said, not really wanting to discuss it right now. "Now, would you mind helping me watch this guy?" Emma asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, because I'll be able to get so far away on a deserted island while I'm missing a hand," Killian said dryly. "Honestly love, I'm not going anywhere," Killian said, leaning back to go to sleep. "Goodnight," he said cheerily.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! As always, thanks for all of the reviews, favorites and follows! This one's a little short, but the next one should be pretty long if for no other reason than the sheer number of POVs. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

"All right everyone, gather around," David said as everyone finished waking up. It didn't take long for the meager group to assemble. "All right, we aren't sure how long it will be until we're rescued. We need to find fresh water and food. What we have won't last forever," David said, hoping for some volunteers.

"I can organize a hunting party. I have experience hunting, but I'm afraid I didn't bring any weapons," Graham said, starting to regret not bringing his knives.

"He didn't, but we did," Isabelle said, much to the surprise of several people around her. "My former fiancé was a hunting fanatic and luckily for us he brought a nice assortment of knives and a few guns," Isabelle explained with a sad smile. "I'm not much of a hunter, but I would love to help. I've heard enough hunting tales that I'm sure I can be of some use," Isabelle finished.

"That would be wonderful. Does anyone else have any hunting experience or wants to help?" Graham asked, his eyes immediately going to Granny. "What about you Granny? Do you still have that crossbow?" Graham asked with a smile.

"Of course, and no one knows how to use it better than I do," Granny said with a smirk. Graham chuckled.

"I'll come too. I have a little experience hunting," Ping said, joining the small hunting party. "I think this is enough of us. We don't want to scare anything off with a huge number," Ping added.

"What do you think is on the island?" David asked, wondering what sort of animals they would find. "Boars maybe?" he suggested, not really sure what was out here. Graham chuckled.

"Out here? I don't think we'll find much big game on an island. We'll most likely be able to find smaller animals but our best bet is going to be birds and fish. Fish are more likely since we might want so save our ammunition in case there is something large on the island," Graham said.

"I'm sure we could set some traps as well. You never know what you'll catch," Isabelle added.

"And you know how to do that?" Graham questioned, not convinced.

"Gustave wasn't very good at building traps so he kept instructions with his hunting supplies. I'm sure at least one of us can follow simple directions," Isabelle said dryly. Graham let out a chuckle.

"All right then, it sounds like you have a hunting party," Graham said.

"I'll take a few people to search for some water. Like you said, our water bottles won't last forever," Ruby said, stepping up to form the next group.

"I'll come too," Lance offered, not wanting to feel useless. He and Ruby looked around for other volunteers.

"Me too," Regina said, stepping forward. "I want to do something to help. Besides, I could use the distraction," she admitted to Mary Margaret and David when they started to stop her.

"Eh, what the heck. I'll tag along too," August said, deciding there were plenty of less exciting things he could be doing rather than trekking through the jungle. He believed excitement could lead to inspiration, something he wanted so this trip wouldn't be a total waste.

"Then there you have it. We have another group. Maybe we should call ourselves the pool party?" Ruby suggested with a smile, eager to keep the easy atmosphere that had developed. Unfortunately, no one seemed to find it funny.

"All right, Archie and Whale, since you two are our medical personnel I'd like to ask that at least one of you stay at camp at all times. I realize you're just a psychologist Archie, but I have a feeling some of us will need it. Whale, if no one else needs you I'd like you teach some us some basic first aid," David said.

"I think we can do that," Whale said after exchanging glance with Archie to make sure the psychologist agreed.

"Good. Gold, Dawn, Cora, and Albert, I want you four to work with me. There has to be a list of all the people on the plane. Dawn brought up yesterday that Phil is missing and we need to see if he's the only one," David said. He didn't trust Cora and couldn't stand Albert but he wanted to keep an eye on him. David believed the other two would be useful.

"Why do you want us?" Albert asked with a frown.

"Because between the four of you we have two lawyers, the head of a major corporation and the heiress of a major corporation. What we're doing is as close to business as you're gonna get on this island. Besides, I'm pretty sure between the five of us we know enough people on this plane to identify all of the bodies," David explained.

"I think it's a good idea. We don't know who all else is missing, and we may want to form a search party if we find out more people aren't accounted for," Dawn said, eager to be able to help.

"Right. Now, Marco and Leroy, you two were in carpentry and construction right? We might want some more stable shelters in case the weather decides to freak out on us," David suggested, and both men gave a small nod of understanding. "Now, everyone else has a few priorities. First, keep an eye on Grace, Henry, and Ashley. We don't want anything to happen to them. Next, we need to go through the luggage and grab as much stuff as we can use. Finally, help Marco and Leroy or learn some first aid if you have any free time. Remember, we're all in this together," David said, channeling his inner leader.

"Aye aye captain," Killian answered jokingly, though in truth he was fairly impressed with the man who had taken charge of this scrambled group of survivors. Emma glared at him. "What?" he asked innocently.

"I'll keep this one out of trouble," Emma said, obviously annoyed by her prisoner's behavior. "I'm sure we have enough people watching him so he shouldn't cause a problem," she added, remembering that everyone knew Killian was a criminal.

"Thank you. Anyone have any other ideas on what we should do? I think I hit just about everything we need to take care of, but I've never been trapped on an island before so this is a little new to me," David said, half-jokingly. He was met with silence. "No? All right then, let's try to meet back here by noon, when the sun's at its highest point in the sky. Those heading into the forest, please be careful, and if you can leave a trail so we can find you if we need you," David finished.

"Will do," Graham said and Ruby nodded in agreement. The two were already becoming the unofficial leaders of their groups, probably helped by the fact that they helped organize them.

"Then best of luck to everyone," David said, concluding the unofficial meeting.


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologize for the late update, but things have been pretty hectic. I should be back to posting once day now. As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows, because they really make my day! Enjoy :)**

"So, you managed to find all of your luggage last night?" Graham asked.

"All that we need for hunting and some of our clothes," Isabelle explained as she laced up a pair of Gustave's shoes. They were too big for her, but Isabelle knew they better than the heels. She and her father had found the suitcases for the men but Isabelle's had yet to show up so Isabelle wore some borrowed clothes from Ruby. They were a little big, but they were clean and a bit more sensible than her dress for the island. She stood and faced Ping. "It's nice to see you again, though I dare say the circumstances could be better," Isabelle said.

"I agree. I'm sorry about Gustave," Ping said. Graham's eyes flashed between the two women.

"You two know each other?" Graham asked, more curious than anything. Isabelle handed each person a knife and a gun while Ping explained.

"This would have been my second trip to Australia. Phil and I went there on business once before and Isabelle really helped us out. We were completely lost in Sydney on our way to a meeting and Isabelle showed us the way," Ping explained. Isabelle placed a supportive hand on Ping's shoulder.

"We'll find Phil," Isabelle said gently but firmly.

"Yeah, but first we've got to find food," Granny said, reminding the crew of the task at hand.

"All right, Granny and I will take care of the actual hunting. You two can build some traps and leave behind a trail so we can find our way back. Does that work?" Graham asked.

"Yes. I'll take care of the traps, and you make sure we can find our way back?" Ping suggested, and Isabelle nodded in agreement.

"Here's the instructions Gustave had. They're pretty simple to understand," Isabelle said as she handed the scrap of paper to Ping.

"Now that that's taken care of let's get going. David wants us back pretty close to noon," Graham said as they began their descent into the forest. They walked quietly, hoping not to disturb any forest life. The group proceeded slowly, giving Isabelle and Ping time to do their jobs. About a mile or so inland, the group heard something strange.

"Did you hear that?" Graham whispered. Granny nodded and lifted her crossbow. Isabelle and Ping quietly pulled out their knives, neither eager to waste ammunition on possibly nothing. Graham pulled out his gun when suddenly an orange flash attacked. Granny and Graham quickly fired and the beast fell, but not before managing to get a swing on Graham.

"What the hell is a tiger doing out here?" Granny muttered as she took a look at Graham's shoulder. "Are you all right boy?" she asked, relieved to see the cut wasn't deep. The company's hearts pounded, and adrenaline coursed through their veins.

"I'm fine," Graham said dismissively, but he knew he would need Whale to patch him up. Isabelle and Ping knelt beside the fallen tiger.

"It looks like we managed to find some food after all, but what is a tiger doing out here?" Ping said, sharing Granny's feelings. The idea that more tigers could be out there terrified the hunting party.

"I think I can answer that," Isabelle said, noticing a familiar symbol branded into the animal's fur. "It was part of a circus known as the Dragon's Circus, owned by a woman named Mallory Draco. The entire circus vanished during a trip from Sydney to the United States. There were search parties searching for weeks, but they never found the ship," Isabelle said, fondly remembering visiting the circus as a girl.

"How long ago was that?" Graham asked.

"About two years ago," Isabelle replied.

"Which is good and bad. It means there are enough resources here to keep us alive, but it also means there are animals on the island that will try to kill us. Wonderful," Graham said sighing.

"Pretty much. Granny, if you'll help Graham I think Ping and I can take care of the tiger," Isabelle said, trying to find the best way to get the animal back to camp.

"All right," Granny said, not giving Graham the chance to protest.

* * *

"Does everybody have their water bottles?" Ruby asked her ragtag group. Said group flashed the bottles in response. "You aren't going to be a chatty group are you?" Ruby asked, frowning.

"Well, we are all strangers here," August pointed out, "And some people here lost something important," he said.

"Yes, because your typewriter is just as valuable as a human life," Lance replied dryly.

"You two are acting like children," Regina scolded quietly, obviously fighting back tears. She almost laughed at the irony of using something her mother taught her, keeping a mask on to keep control.

"Regina's right. We all lost something in that crash, but unlike a lot of people on that plane we are alive. Right now, we need to find some fresh water so we can stay that way," Ruby said, realizing too late how harsh her statement was.

"Then lead the way," Regina said calmly, refusing to let her pain and sorrow show in front of strangers. Without a word the group began their trek into the jungle with Ruby leading the way. All of a sudden Ruby stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Lance asked and Ruby shook her head, holding a finger to her lips. She listened for a moment before smiling.

"This way, I can hear water," Ruby said, much to the confusion of her companions who heard nothing. "Trust me, it's this way," she stated, continuing on whether the others followed or not. The sound of water soon began to reach the others's ears as well.

"Nice job," August admitted when they came to the spring. "It's not a long walk from shore either," he added, impressed.

"All right, let's fill 'em up!" Ruby said with a wolffish grin.

* * *

"All right, let's find out who's unaccounted for," David said, handing the passenger listing to Dawn, who cleared her throat. She scanned the page until she found a name she hadn't heard the previous night.

"Gustave Jones?" Dawn called, and the others looked over the bodies until Gold spoke up.

"Dead. He's this one right here," Gold said, feeling no remorse for Isabelle's former fiancé.

"And his relations?" David asked, causing Gold to frown. "We need to know who to give his possessions to," David pointed out.

"He was engaged to Miss Isabelle French; they took his hunting supplies earlier," Gold snapped impatiently.

"Is that the girl's name? She's a bit young for you don't you think, Rum?" Cora asked with a smirk. Gold frowned, not in the mood to deal with the powerful woman today.

"The girl is merely an acquaintance; we sat together on the plane. Besides, I don't see how that's any of business. And you of all people should remember that my name is Mr. Gold. I would like to ask that you remember that dearie," Gold said coldly causing Cora to laugh.

"Such hostility," she teased.

"Oh yeah," Gold growled.

"Okay, how about Billy Gus?" Dawn quickly asked, eager to defuse the tense situation.

"This one right here. I don't believe he was close to anyone on the plane, but he's from the same town as Graham and Ruby Lucas," Albert Spencer said calmly, clearly uninterested in the tension between the two.

"Phil Prince isn't here. Next we have an Anton Bean?" Dawn called out, but received silence. "All right, since none of who seem to know him, are there any bodies here that at least one of you don't recognize?" Dawn asked.

"I know these," David said, gesturing to several of the remaining bodies.

"And between the three of us we know the rest," Gold said without emotion. "Let me see the list," Gold demanded, to which Dawn complied. He quickly scanned over the list. Taking the pencil from Dawn's hand, Gold circled several names on the list. "These are our missing persons," Gold said, eager to be rid of his present company. David glanced over the list.

"Phil Prince, Anton Bean, Sidney Glass, Kathryn Smith, Keith Knott, and William Smee," David read out. "We need to organize a search party to look for them," David said seriously.

"Why bother? Chances are their bodies are in the ocean. They'll likely float to shore in a few days at most," Gold said callously.

"No, we need to find a search party. They're alive and we need to find them!" Dawn argued fiercely. "We have to find them!"

"And we will, I promise," David said, with the same determination as Dawn.

* * *

"I thought she would be happy to see me," Henry said sadly as he and Neal searched through the luggage still on the plane. Neal couldn't help but empathize with the boy.

"Yesterday was a really crazy day. I bet she'll come around and if not, I'll still be here for you," Neal said, refusing to abandon his own son. "I know she loves you, but right now she's confused and overwhelmed," he added. Henry smiled.

"You know, you're right. Everything will work out, just like in my storybook," Henry said, and Neal didn't have the heart to tell his son that real life doesn't have happy endings.

"I'm sure it will," Neal said, giving a sad smile.

"Whatever happened to your parents? You told me you were an orphan, but you didn't say how," Henry said, eager to learn about his father. Neal sighed, and decided to tell at least part of the truth.

"My mom died when I was about six," Neal started. Or at least that's what papa told me, he mentally added, still bitter about that lie. "And my father abandoned me when I was fourteen," Neal finished, reluctant to share his tale.

"Why did he abandon you?" Henry asked, curious as usual.

"Because he was a coward who cared more about power than his own son," Neal said sighing.

"Have you tried finding him again? Maybe he's sorry," Henry said, sounding completely hopeful and optimistic. Neal winced.

"It's not that simple. Even if I did find him again, we can't go back to the way things were before he gained all that power. He was a good man once, but that was a long time ago," Neal said, remembering the loving father Gold used to be.

"If he used to be good, maybe he still can be," Henry said with a cheerful grin. Neal couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe kid. Maybe," Neal said, remembering what that Isabelle French girl said about him.

* * *

"Remind me again, why are we here?" Killian asked dryly as Whale checked over his bandages.

"We don't want the wound to fester. I doubt you want the whole arm removed. I hope you're paying attention Miss Swan," Whale said, taking a moment to glance at Emma. "He seems to enjoy your company more, and I doubt he'll be this fussy for you," Whale said with a smirk.

"Or I could just keep bringing him to you," Emma said, though she watched Whale work anyway.

"Most girls would kill to play nurse for me," Killian said with a smirk before wincing from the pain.

"I thought girls only enjoyed nursing tough guys back to health," Emma snarked, smirking at the expression of pain on Killian's face.

"You try losing a limb," Killian argued. Whale finished up changing the bandages and gestured the two on.

"All right you two lovebirds, I have other people who need my expertise. Go get a room," Whale said, dismissing the two. With a frown, Emma led Killian towards the beach to help with the luggage.

"Why are we coming down here?" Killian asked, frowning.

"We're helping. I don't care if you're 'down a limb', you still need to contribute," Emma said, and Killian chuckle.

"Whatever you say, love," Killian said, easily slipping into his charming facade to counter her snarky one.

**No Mary Margaret in this one, sorry about that. Rum is short for Gold's first name which you all will discover soon, but let me know if you have any guesses. I believe I made the characters I introduced in this one pretty easy to figure out, but don't hesitate to ask if you can't figure someone out.**


	10. Chapter 10

**So I didn't realize until a commenter mentioned it, but for some reason I have Gustave and Killian with the same last name. Purely coincidence, the two aren't related. I apologize for the late update, with everything going on I may be updating a little less often for a while. Anyways, enjoy!**

"It's almost noon, we should get back to the camp. David wants us back, and I'm sure he'd love to hear the good news," Lance said after the last bottle was filled.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint our almighty leader," Ruby teased. August chuckled at her joke but Regina frowned.

"At least he's trying to get us to work together," Regina pointed out.

"Relax, it was a joke. I think he's doing a great job, but it's funny how pretty much all of us are willing to just go along with it. The guy's a great leader, but to some of us he's a perfect stranger. It's like he was meant to lead," Ruby said pleasantly.

"Some people are just like that. I was surprised when he told us he worked for an animal rescue; he seems like the kind of guy who'd be a big business man, or maybe a doctor," August said as they made their way back to the camp.

"He probably got it from his father," Lance said casually, meeting three confused glances. "Sorry, I forget that none of you know him very well. Albert Spencer, the attorney, is his adopted father. A bit cruel sometimes that one, but he can be very charismatic. Growing up with him had to be good for David's public speaking skills, but I must say he seems like a much better person than Albert," he explained.

"Wow, they're nothing alike. Trust me, I sat next to Albert on the plane and he is not the friendliest person in the world," August said chuckling.

"There's the beach," Regina said as they left the forest. Nearly everyone at the beach appeared to be hard at work, either looking through luggage or getting lessons from Whale. Mary Margaret was the first to see them and approached them.

"Hey, did you guys have any luck?" Mary Margaret asked, before Ruby flashed a bottleful of water. "Great! How far away is the spring?" she asked, with a huge smile across her face.

"A mile, give or take. There's practically a path already marked to it," Ruby said, face beaming with pride.

"This is great news! Once Graham's group gets back we'll share the news, and hopefully they managed to catch us some more food," Mary Margaret said, allowing herself to feel optimistic despite the situation. Ruby frowned.

"They aren't back yet?" she asked, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, it's not quite noon yet," Mary Margaret said, checking her watch, "And besides, their job will probably take more time than yours did anyway," she said shrugging. Her words gave Ruby some reassurance, but they couldn't completely take away the nagging in her mind.

"Hey Ruby!" a voice called, one that Ruby immediately placed as her granny's. The entire group turned to see Granny emerge from the forest with Graham in one arm, who had three large gashes across one shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, what happened?!" Mary Margaret exclaimed as she and the others went to assist them. Mary Margaret almost screamed when she saw the flash of black and orange carried by Ping and Isabelle.

"It's a long story," Isabelle said with an apologetic smile.

"You can tell us all about it later," August said with a chuckle, not sure what to make of the tiger the girls carried. Ping and Isabelle tossed the animal into the sand, obviously exhausted by the effort of carrying it to the beach.

"All right, we need to get Graham some help, but we also need to check the traps we placed earlier. We didn't have the chance to check them on our way back," Ping explained.

"August, Lance, and I will take care of it. Regina, help Granny get Graham to Whale, and Mary Margaret please help these two with the tiger," Ruby said, jumping to action. Without a word, everyone jumped to work.

* * *

"Whoa, is that a tiger?!" Henry asked as the animal made its way to the center of their camp. "That is so cool!" Henry exclaimed, excited about the discovery.

"How did that get on the island?" Neal asked, thinking out loud. He looked over to Henry only to find him charging towards Mary Margaret, Isabelle, Ping, and the tiger. "Hey Henry, wait!" Neal called out, giving a slight chuckle as he followed the boy.

"I can't believe you guys manage to kill a tiger!" Henry said, his enthusiasm obvious. Isabelle and Ping chuckled.

"Well, Granny and Graham managed to kill a tiger. Graham's a bit hurt where the tiger swiped him, but Whale's taking a look at him," Isabelle said with a smile.

"We don't think it's anything serious, but we don't want to take any chances," Ping added, not wanting to cause any sort of alarm.

"Now, how exactly did a tiger get on a deserted island?" Neal asked, growing concerned that something might be off with the island. Isabelle smiled, realizing his concern.

"A circus went missing around this area a few years back," Isabelle explained, pointing out the brand on the tiger's skin. "See, just a circus animal that survived that wreck," she said, soothing their concerns. Neal breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wonder if there are any other circus animals on the island…" Henry said, speaking what everyone else was thinking. Everyone stayed quiet for a moment.

"You're Isabelle right? Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?" Neal asked, remembering that he wanted to speak to the Australian.

"No, not at all," Isabelle, said, a bit confused at what Neal wanted. She followed him out of earshot anyway, growing more curious than anything. "What can I help you with?" Isabelle asked, thinking that something looked familiar about him.

"I'm just curious about your relationship to my…Mr. Gold," Neal said, hastily correcting his near-mistake. Fortunately for him, Isabelle didn't seem to catch it, though she did seem pretty confused.

"I don't understand what you're asking," Isabelle admitted.

"Last night, when we introduced ourselves you mentioned something about him saving your life. I know it sounds strange, but I've met him before and he doesn't really seem like the type of man to do that," Neal said, trying to come up with an excuse for his prying. Though Isabelle seemed unconvinced, she decided to answer anyway.

"I just met him yesterday when we sat next to each other on the plane and got to know each other a bit. Why don't you think he's the kind of man to save someone's life?" Isabelle asked with a frown, which Neal returned. He had assumed the two were involved, but the idea of his father saving a perfect stranger seemed out of character to him.

"Forget I mentioned it," Neal said, deciding that he needed to think on what she said. Isabelle, however, wasn't willing to drop the matter.

"What's going on?" Isabelle asked, correctly deducing that Neal wasn't telling her everything. Neal hesitated for a moment before answering.

"It's a long story," Neal said dismissively before letting out a tired sigh. Isabelle's eyes widened in recognition, causing Neal to frown.

"Wait…you're Bay aren't you?" Isabelle asked, much to Neal's surprise.

"How do you know my name?" Neal asked, his frown deepening.

"Last night, I asked him why he was heading to Sydney and he told me he was looking for someone. When I asked him who, he told me it was his son, Bay," Isabelle said, putting the pieces together. Neal sighed.

"Look, I kind of don't want him to know that I'm here right now. Our relationship isn't exactly the best. You may have seen a bit of kindness, but he hasn't been a good man in many years. I'm not ready to forgive him, not yet," Neal said, almost pleading to Isabelle to keep his secret. Isabelle frowned.

"What happened between the two of you?" Isabelle asked, wondering what caused the deep rift between father and son.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Neal admitted. "Please don't say anything to him about it; I'm still not sure what I want to do about this," he added. Isabelle sighed.

"My lips are sealed," Isabelle said reluctantly.

* * *

"Is that…a tiger?" Dawn asked, not quite believing what she saw appear in the middle of camp.

"Haven't you ever seen one before?" Cora asked dryly, not amused by the situation. David made his way to get a better look, and the others followed behind them.

"Did you guys really manage to kill a tiger?" Dawn asked, feeling relieved to see Ping in one piece. Ping nodded.

"Why don't we get everyone together? It looks like everyone's back, and we have a lot to discuss," David said, looking around the beach to make sure no one was missing. It didn't take long for everyone to gather. "All right, first things first, who wants to explain the tiger for us?" he asked, looking to find Graham.

"We found it while we were hunting. Isabelle believes it was a part of a circus that disappeared around this area a few years ago. We were able to kill it with little problem, but he managed to scratch me. Whale thinks I'll live," Graham said, taking special care to make the last sentence a joke. "We laid some traps, and August, Lance, and Ruby are checking them at the moment," he added. Regina, beside him, decided to speak up.

"We managed to find a freshwater spring about a mile from here," she said, speaking since Ruby wasn't present.

"Great. We went through and found that there are a few people missing. We need to organize a search party as soon as possible. Anyone interested, come see me after we're finished here. Did anyone find anything interesting in the luggage?" David asked.

"Just some medication that we sent over to Whale and some clothing," Emma said, speaking for the group that stayed behind.

"Good, we'll need all the medication we can get. All right, anyone interested in joining the search party come see me, anyone else can continue looking through luggage or transporting water down here," David said, bringing the meeting to an end.


End file.
